2009-10-13 - 5:09 p.m.

vanGogh

AND BELIEVE ME

Well, adieu, and believe me that sometimes I laugh heartily, because people suspect me of all kinds of malignity and absurdities, of which I do not nourish an inkling. (I who am really nothing but a friend of nature, of study, of work, and of people in particular.)

With a handshake,
Yours,
Vincent

It sets me thinking about the fact that Vincent Van Gogh is being maligned by people. Naturally, mental patients too want a fair share of love and concern. However, it seems hard for others to accept them as they are.

Once, after an argument with Paul Gauguin, his ear was cut off. Art Historians were divided on whether it was self-mutilation or an assault by Gauguin. He then presented the severed ear to an astonished prostitute called Rachel before going home.

How could a normal person possibly accept this kind of love? I can't. I'm not that great to accept a mental patient as my prospective future husband. However, I can accept him as a human being who is different from the norm. Someone who is often double-penalised by the unwanted illness and the very society that shuns them.

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